System, method and article of manufacture for shipping a package privately to a customer

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention facilitate in sending a package ( 112 ) to a customer at a physical address via a shipper ( 106 ) while preserving customer privacy. In accordance with an embodiment, an order is received from the customer ( 102 ). The order may include a unique identifier corresponding to the customer. A package ( 110 ) is sent to the shipper ( 106 ) in fulfillment of the order, the package including the unique identifier. Then, the customer&#39;s physical address is derived from the unique identifier and the package is delivered ( 112 ) from the shipper to the customer&#39;s physical address.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/287,194, filed Nov. 28, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,598, which is adivisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/311,748, filed Dec.19, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,997, which is a national stage filingunder 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No.PCT/US01/19384, filed Jun. 19, 2001, and claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/212,596, filed Jun. 19, 2000, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/232,430, filed Sep. 14, 2000.The contents of the above applications are hereby incorporated byreference.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to shipping a package to acustomer and, more particularly, to a system, method, and article ofmanufacture for shipping a package privately to a customer, so that thesender does not learn the recipient's identity.

2. Background Information

In recent years, online networks, such as the Internet, have experiencedexplosive growth and success because they provide a user (e.g., acustomer) with the ability to access a vast array of resources (e.g.,information) and to buy a product remotely (e.g., from the user's home).The Internet and more specifically, the World Wide Web (“Web”) is adistributed network that includes web servers and web clients. Webservers are software applications that support common protocols, such asHypertext Transport Protocol a (HTTP). Moreover, these web servers makedocuments, such as documents in hypertext mark up language (HTML), andother resources available to users via web sites. Each web site mayinclude a plurality of web pages and may be identified by a uniqueaddress called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Web clients includesoftware applications, such as a browser, which a user uses to access aweb page, for example.

As a result of the Internet, many merchants who have a physical presence(e.g., a store in a mall) also have created web sites to sell theproducts they offer over the Internet. In addition, many new merchantshave created web sites to sell their products only over the Internet andnot in a physical store. To buy a product from these merchants, acustomer may visit the merchant's web site, select the products that thecustomer wants to buy, and provide certain information (e.g., name,address, and financial information) to the merchant. After the merchantverifies the customer's information, the merchant may send the productto the customer via a shipper (e.g., United States Postal ServiceCUSPS), Federal Express, and United Postal Service (UPS)).

To provide convenience to the customer, some web sites also createaccounts for their customers so that the customers do not have toreenter their information every time the customers shop with thatmerchant. The merchant also may assign a user name and/or password, forexample, to each customer who opens an account with them. Then, insteadof providing their information every time, the customer may only need toprovide a user name and/or password, for example, to logon to themerchant web site and to purchase products from the merchant.

Despite the convenience and advantages provided by such web sites, thereare several drawbacks. One drawback is that many customers are hesitantin providing their personal information (e.g., name and address) tomerchants because they are afraid that unknown third parties mayintercept their personal information en route or that the merchant maysell their information to unknown third parties. Such customers may wantto remain anonymous, either entirely or partially.

In addition, many customers may not want to receive unwanted offers(e.g., sales calls or literature) from merchants who send such offers tocustomers after a customer has purchased a product from the merchant.

Furthermore, if a merchant web site does not create an account for acustomer, the customer may need to reenter his or her personalinformation each time the customer visits the merchant web site, a taskthat may be time consuming and inconvenient. On the other hand, if amerchant web site does create an account for a customer, the customermay not remember the logon information (e.g., user name and password)that the merchant assigned to the customer when the customer initiallyestablished the account with the merchant. To remember the logoninformation, some customers may write the logon information on a pieceof paper. This can result in unauthorized persons obtaining theinformation necessary to make unauthorized purchases on the customer'saccount.

Moreover, with the increase in the number of merchants offering productson the Internet, establishing accounts with each merchant that thecustomer purchases products from may be a time consuming andinconvenient task.

SUMMARY OF A FEW ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention facilitate insending a package to a customer at a physical address via a shipperwhile preserving customer privacy. In accordance with an embodiment, anorder is received from the customer. The order may include a uniqueidentifier corresponding to the customer. A package is sent to theshipper in fulfillment of the order, the package including the uniqueidentifier. Then, the customer's physical address is derived from theunique identifier and the package is delivered from the shipper to thecustomer's physical address. The unique identifier may be the customer'saccount number, a random number, or a barcode.

Methods and systems consistent with present invention may include amerchant computer, shipping computer, and payment computer to ship apackage privately to the customer. The merchant computer may receive apurchase request for a product from a customer. The merchant computermay in turn send to a payment computer, an electronic tokencorresponding to a customer account and a purchase amount correspondingto the purchase request. In addition, a validation request to verify theelectronic token may be sent to a shipping computer. Theshipping-computer may verify the electronic token. After verification,the electronic token is converted into shipping label information,wherein the shipping label information includes neither a name nor thephysical address of the recipient. The shipping label information isthen sent to the merchant computer. In addition, a first label with theshipping label information is printed at the merchant computer. Thefirst label is affixed to the package containing the product and thepackage is sent to the shipper. The shipper retrieves a name and aphysical address of the customer using the shipping label information,places a second label that includes the name and physical address on thepackage, and delivers the package to the customer.

Both the foregoing and the following description are exemplary andexplanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of theclaimed invention as opposed to limiting it in any manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part ofthis specification, and together with the description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system consistent with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary client computer consistentwith the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary registration system consistentwith the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary shipping computer consistentwith the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the registration process,in accordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the purchase process, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a shipping label used by a merchant,in accordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram of the various shipping methodsavailable through USPS, in accordance with systems and methodsconsistent with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention refers to theaccompanying drawings. While the description includes exemplaryembodiments, other embodiments are possible and changes may be made tothe embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. The following detailed description does not limit theinvention. Instead, the appended claims and their equivalents define thescope of the invention.

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide anelectronic account to each customer on a network. In accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, a customer may use a registrationsystem to establish an account with a shipper (e.g., USPS). To establishan account, the customer may provide the required information (e.g.,name, address, and financial information) to the registration system.

Moreover, during account establishment, the shipper may assign logoninformation (e.g., logon information) and provide a digital certificateto the customer. In addition, during account establishment, if thecustomer does not already have an account with the payment company, thecustomer may also establish an account with a payment company. Then,when the customer wants to purchase a product from a merchant's website, the customer may logon to a network (e.g., the Internet) using hisor her computer. Using the browser on his computer, the customer mayvisit the shipper's web site to obtain an electronic token. To establishthe customer's identity, the shipper's web site may prompt the customerfor the logon information and the digital certificate, both of whichwere provided to the customer during account establishment.

After obtaining the token, the customer may visit the merchant's website and select the product that the customer wants to purchase. Oncethe customer has selected the product, the merchant website may redirectthe customer's browser to the payment company's web site along with theelectronic token and transaction information (e.g., total purchaseamount).

The payment company's web site may, in turn, send the electronic tokento the shipper's web site for validation. Once the shipper's web sitehas verified the token, the shipper's web site may provide validationand information for a shipping label to the payment company's web site.This label information may include a unique identifier, for example, arandom number or a barcode, to identify the customer, but may notinclude the customer's name or address information. Upon receiving theverification and label information, the payment company's web site maycharge the customer's account for the amount of the transaction andprovide the label information to the merchant. The merchant may in turnprint the label information on a label, affix the label to a package,and send the package to the shipper.

Once the shipper receives the package, the shipper may read or scan thelabel to determine the customer's name and address, apply a new labelthat has the customer's name and address to the package, and ship thepackage to the customer. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the customer'sinformation remains anonymous from the merchant.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 consistent with thepresent invention. System 100 may include one or more client computers102, a registration system 104, a shipping computer 106, a paymentcomputer 108, a merchant computer 110, and a delivery computer 112, allof which may be interconnected via a network 114.

Each client computer 102 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers (e.g., merchant computer110) and displaying information. The client computer may be located at acustomer's home.

Registration system 104 may include one or more computers capable ofcommunicating with other computers (e.g., merchant computer 110) anddisplaying information. Registration system 104 may obtain personalinformation (e.g., name, address, financial information) to establish anaccount for a customer and may assign an account number to the customer.Registration system 104 also may assign logon information (e.g., username and/or password) to a customer. In addition, registration system104 may be connected to a certificate authority so that a digitalcertificate can be provided to a customer upon-account establishment.

Registration system 104 may also send customer's information to shippingcomputer 106 and payment computer 108. Moreover, in one embodiment,registration system 104 may create an electronic token for a customer.An electronic token may be an encrypted data structure, customer'saccount number, or a random number. The electronic token may havecertain options associated with it to provide security. For example, theelectronic token may only be used a certain number of times or for acertain amount of time before it expires. Registration system 104 may beowned and/or maintained by a shipper.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, registrationsystem 104 may be the registration system disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/809,328 (“'328 application”), filed Mar. 16,2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Shipping computer 106 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers (e.g., payment computer108) and displaying information. Shipping computer 106 may receivecustomer information from registration system 104. In addition, shippingcomputer 106 may generate an electronic token for a customer andvalidate the electronic token for a payment company.

Shipping computer 106 may also provide shipping label information thatis placed on a package by a merchant. The shipping label information mayinclude, for example, a random number, a customer's account number, or abarcode associated with a customer, so that the customer's identityremains hidden from the merchant. In one embodiment, the barcodeassociated with the customer may include three digits to identify thezone of the delivery address for zone pricing purposes. In anotherembodiment, the shipping label information may also include a barcoderepresentation or a number representation of the re-labeling location.

Shipping computer 106 also may provide delivery label information todelivery computer 112 so that a package received from a merchant may bedelivered to a customer. The delivery label information may include, forexample, a customer's name and address. Shipping computer 106 also maybe owned and/or maintained by a shipper.

Payment computer 108 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers (e.g., merchant computer110) and displaying information. Payment computer 108 may receive atransaction from a merchant computer 110, may charge the customer'saccount for the amount of the transaction, and provide the merchant withpayment confirmation. In addition, payment computer 108 may send acustomer's electronic token to shipping computer 106 for validation. Inone embodiment, payment computer 108 may receive a validation of thecustomer's electronic token along with shipping label information fromshipping computer 106 and may send the shipping label information tomerchant computer 110. In another embodiment, payment computer 108 mayreceive a validation of the customer's electronic token from shippingcomputer 106, generate shipping label information, and may send theshipping label information to merchant computer 110. In this embodiment,payment computer 108 may also send the shipping label information toshipping computer 106 so that the shipping label information may beconverted to delivery label information.

Payment computer 108 may be owned and/or maintained by a financialinstitution (e.g., American Express and other credit card companies) orany company that provides a customer with the ability to mask his or herreal identity from a merchant.

Merchant computer 110 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers (e.g., payment computer108) and displaying information. Merchant computer 110 may offerproducts to a customer via network 114 and client computer 102. After acustomer selects the product(s) he or she wants to purchase, merchantcomputer may send the customer's transaction information (e.g., purchaseamount for the product(s)) and electronic token to payment computer 108for processing. In addition, a merchant may use merchant computer 110 toreceive shipping label information from payment computer 108, print alabel with the shipping label information, affix the label to a packagecontaining the product purchased by the customer, and send the packageto a shipper for delivery to the customer.

Delivery computer 112 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers (e.g., shipping computer106) and displaying information. Upon receipt of a package from amerchant, the shipper may use delivery computer 112 to read the shippinglabel information affixed on the package and request the delivery labelinformation from shipping computer 106. Once the delivery labelinformation is received from the shipping computer 106, the shipper mayprint a label with the delivery label information, affix the label tothe package, and deliver the package to the customer. Delivery computer112 may be owned and/or operated by the shipper or a third party.

Network 114 may be a single or a combination of any type of computernetwork, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network(WAN). For example, network 114 may comprise an Ethernet networkoperating according to the IEEE 802.3 standard. In addition, network 114may be a combination of public (e.g., Internet) and private networks.For example, client computer 102, payment computer 108, and merchantcomputer 110 may be connected to each other and to registration system104, shipping computer 106, and delivery computer 112 via the Internet.However, registration system 104, shipping computer 106, and deliverycomputer 112 may be connected to each other via a LAN.

Other system and network configurations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the foregoing and following description, andthus, are also within the scope of the present invention. For example,it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that a single computer mayperform the tasks performed by registration system 104, shippingcomputer 106, and delivery computer 112. Similarly, it will be apparentto one skilled in the art that system 100 may include multiple shippingcomputers 106, payment computers 108, merchant computers 110, anddelivery computers 112.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary client computer 102 consistentwith the present invention. As shown, client computer 102 may includebrowser 202, output device 204, processor 206, memory 208,communications device 210, input device 212, and other software and datastorage 214.

Browser 202 may include a conventional software application, such asNETSCAPE NAVIGATOR or INTERNET EXPLORER, for issuing HTTP requests toother computers (e.g., merchant computer 110). For example, browser 202may request a specific web page or ask other computers (e.g., merchantcomputer 110) to perform a database query. Browser 202 also may read HTcodes embedded in the web pages received from the various servers todetermine how, where, and in what colors and fonts the elements on theweb pages must be displayed. In another embodiment, if cellular phonesare used as client computers 102, a WAP-compatible micro-browser may beused as the browser 202. In still another embodiment, encryptioncapability may be included in browser 202.

Output device 204 may include a device that displays information tousers. In addition, client computer 102 also may include processor 206and/or memory 208. The processor 206 may control the components ofclient computer 102 and assist in processing requests received fromother components. The memory 208 may include ROM (Read Only Memory)and/or RAM (Random Access Memory).

Client computer 102 also may include communications device 210 that mayinclude an interface device for transmitting information from clientcomputer 102 to network 110 and for receiving information that isaddressed to client computer 102 from network 114. For example,communications device 210 may be a network interface card or a modem. Inone embodiment, when sending information, communications device 210 maybreak the information into packets that are sent across a TCP/IP network110 to the various servers. In addition, communications device 210 maycheck for errors in transmission using, for example, cyclical redundancycheck (“CRC”).

Input device 212 may include a device that is used for receiving inputfrom a user. For example, input device 212 may include a keyboard, akeypad, and/or a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball). Akeypad may comprise a conventional alphanumeric or numeric key entrydevice. Client computer 102 also may include other software and datastorage 214, such as an operating system.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that client computer 102may include some or all the components shown in FIG. 2. Moreover, itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art that on-site client computer102 may include additional components not shown in FIG. 2. For example,client computer 102 may include a printer device to print, for example,information received from other computers.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary registration system 104consistent with the present invention. As shown, registration system 104may include an application server 302, a web server 304, a databaseserver 306, and a database 308. Registration system 104 also may beconnected a digital certificate authority 310 for additional security.

Application server 302 may include software tools to generate dynamiccontent and execute applications for registration system 104. Forexample, application server 302 may include software that processeslogic and instructions to support registration system 104, tokengeneration and validation software to generate an electronic token for acustomer, account number generator software to generate an electronicaccount number for a customer, and certificate software to construct andsubmit requests to digital certificate authority 310 and to retrievecustomer's digital certificate from digital certificate authority 310.

Web server 304 may process HTML requests to enable communications withother computers (e.g., customer computer 102) and may provide data toapplication server 302 and database server 306. Database server 306 mayprocess all communications with database 308. Database 308 may storecustomer information provided by the customer during registration.

As shown in FIG. 3, registration system 104 also may be connected adigital certificate authority (CA) 310. During registration,registration system 104 may request digital certificate authority 310 togenerate a digital certificate for a customer. The request may include,for example, a public key and information provided by customer duringregistration process.

The certificate authority 310 may issue an encrypted digital certificatecontaining a customer's public key and a variety of other identificationinformation. The digital certificate can be, for example, a well-knownCCITT X.500 Section 509 Version 3 certificate. The certificationauthority 310 may make its own public key available through print orperhaps on the Internet The recipient of an encrypted message may usethe CA's public key to decode the digital certificate attached to themessage, verify the digital certificate as issued by the certificateauthority 310, and then obtain the sender's public key andidentification information held within the certificate. With thisinformation, the recipient can send an encrypted reply.

Although not shown, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatregistration system 104 may include one or more computers that include aprocessor, memory, a communications device (e.g., network interfacecard), an output device (e.g., monitor), input device (e.g., keyboardand pointing device), and network operating system. The networkoperating system may process requests received from other computers,monitor network hardware and software, coordinate communication in thenetwork, and provide transaction security.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary shipping computer 106consistent with the present invention. As shown, shipping computer 106may include an application server 402, a web server 410, a databaseserver 412, and a database 414.

Application server 402 may include software tools, such as applicationserver software 404, token generation and validation software 406, andtoken conversion software 408, to generate dynamic content and executeapplications for shipping computer 106. Application server software 404may process logic and instructions to support shipping computer 106. Forexample, application server 402 may authenticate a customer when thecustomer desires to access his or her data or obtain an electronic tokenfrom shipping computer 106.

Token generation and validation software 406 may generate an electronictoken for a customer and the token conversion software 408 may convert atoken into shipping label information. Web server 410 may process HTMLrequests to enable communications with other computers (e.g., paymentcomputer 108) and may provide data to application server 402 anddatabase server 412.

Database server 412 may process all communications with a database 414.Database 414 may include customer information provided by registrationsystem 104. Although not shown, it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that shipping computer 104 may include a processor, memory, acommunications device (e.g., network interface card), an output device(e.g., monitor), input device (e.g., keyboard and pointing device), andan operating system.

Moreover, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art from theforegoing and following description that shipping computer 106 mayinclude some or all the components shown in FIG. 4. For example, in oneembodiment, shipping computer 106 may not include a database server or adatabase. Instead, shipping computer 106 may obtain the data fromregistration system 104.

Furthermore, although not shown, payment computer 108 and merchantcomputer 110 also may include some or all of the components that areincluded in shipping computer 106. For example, in one embodiment, bothof these computers may include an application server to generate dynamiccontent and execute applications, a web server to process HTML requests,a database server, and a database. Moreover, in one embodiment, paymentcomputer 108 may include token conversion software.

Similarly, although not shown, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that delivery computer 112 may include some or all of the componentsthat are included in client computer 102. In one embodiment, a shippermay use the browser on delivery computer 112 to request delivery labelinformation from the shipping computer 106. In another embodiment,instead of a browser, delivery computer 112 may include applicationsoftware for requesting delivery label information from the shippingcomputer 106.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the registration process,in accordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention, such as the system illustrated in FIG. 1. A customer at aclient computer 102 may connect to network 114 and request the web pageassociated with the registration process, for example, by entering theweb page's URL in his or her browser (stage not shown in Figure).Registration system 104 may receive the request from the customer (stage502) and may prompt the customer for registration information (stage504). The registration information may include customer name, physicaladdress, e-nail address, telephone number, financial information, and arequest for an account.

If the customer already has an account with a payment company, then thefinancial information may include information regarding that account(e.g., account number). If the customer does not have an account with apayment company, the financial information may include the requiredinformation to establish an account with the payment company.

Upon receiving the requested information from the customer, registrationsystem 104 may create an account for the customer and store thecustomer's information in database 308 (stage 508). During accountcreation, the account number generator software may generate a uniqueaccount number for the customer. In addition, in one embodiment, logoninformation (e.g., user name and/or password) may be created byregistration system 104 so that the customer can logon to registrationsystem 104 or shipping computer 106. In another embodiment, the customermay be prompted to select the logon information. In still anotherembodiment, during account creation, registration system 104 may requesta digital certificate from digital certificate authority 310.

Moreover, in one embodiment, during account creation, the tokengeneration and validation software may generate an electronic token foruse by the customer during the purchasing process.

Once an account has been created, the financial information is sent topayment computer 108 and deleted from database 308 (stage 508). Inanother embodiment, however, the financial information may not bedeleted from database 308. In this stage, the payment computer 108 alsomay be provided with the shipping computer's information (e.g., IPaddress) so that the payment computer 108 may send token validation andconversion requests to shipping computer 106 during the purchasingprocess.

After account creation, registration system 104 may also send logoninformation to database 414 of shipping computer 106 so that theshipping computer can receive and process requests received from clientcomputer 102 (stage 510). In one embodiment, registration system 104 mayalso send customer address information and account number to shippingcomputer 106 so that the shipping computer 106 does not have to requestsuch information from database 308 during the shipping process.

Finally, registration system 104 may provide the customer with aconfirmation indicating that the customer's account has been createdsuccessfully (stage 512). In this stage, if a digital certificate wascreated, the digital certificate is provided to the customer. Similarly,if the logon information was generated by registration system 104, thecustomer is provided with the logon information. The accountestablishment process is complete once the customer is provided with aconfirmation.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that many modificationsmay be made to the process shown in FIG. 5 without departing from thescope of the invention. For example, registration system 104 may providethe customer with confirmation before sending customer information topayment computer 108 or shipping computer 106.

Moreover, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that otheraccount establishment processes may be used or that the process shown inFIG. 5 may be combined with other account establishment processes. Forexample, the account establishment process disclosed in the '328application may be used to establish an account for a customer or theprocess shown in FIG. 5 may be combined with the account establishmentprocess disclosed in the '328 application.

Once a customer has established an account, the customer may purchaseproducts from a merchant web site. FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchartillustrating the purchase process, in accordance with methods andsystems consistent with the present invention. A customer may use clientcomputer 102 to connect to network 114 and logon to shipping computer106 (stage 602). When logging onto the shipping computer 106, theshipping computer may request logon information from the customer andcompare it with the information in database 414. If the logoninformation provided by the customer matches the one in database 414,the customer is authenticated. If the logon information, on the otherhand, does not match the information in database 414, then shippingcomputer 106 may request the customer to reenter the logon information.The customer may be given a certain number of tries (e.g., three tries)before shipping computer 106 instructs the customer to contact theadministrator of the shipping computer 106 to resolve the authenticationproblems.

In one embodiment, during the logon process (stage 602) the shippingcomputer 106 may also check the digital certificate provided to thecustomer during the account establishment process to authenticate thecustomer.

Once logged into shipping computer 106, the customer may request anelectronic token from shipping computer 106 (stage 604). Tokengeneration and validation software 406 may either generate an electronictoken or request registration system 104 to generate an electronictoken. The electronic token may also be stored in the customer'saccount.

Once the token has been generated, the token may be provided to clientcomputer 102 (stage 606). After obtaining the token, a customer mayconnect to merchant computer 110, for example, by typing in themerchant's web site address in his or her computer's browser. Typing inthe address should take the customer to the web site hosted by themerchant computer 110. Once at the merchant computer 110, the customermay select the product or products he or she wants to purchase (stage608).

After selecting the products, merchant computer 110 may request theelectronic token from the customer and may prompt the customer to selecta payment method (stage 610). In response, the customer may provide thetoken to the merchant computer 110 and may select the methodcorresponding to the payment company that the customer wants to use(stage 612).

Next, merchant computer 110 may send the token along with thetransaction information to payment computer 108 corresponding to thepayment company selected by the customer (stage 614). The transactioninformation may include the total purchase amount and/or a descriptionof the products the customer wants to purchase.

Payment computer 108 may in turn send the token to shipping computer 106for validation (616). Upon receiving a validation request from paymentcomputer 108, token generation and validation software 406 of shippingcomputer 106 may compare the token to the token stored in the customer'saccount (stage 618). If the token is encrypted, the shipping computer106 may decrypt it before comparing it to the token stored in thecustomer's account.

If the token is valid, the token conversion software 408 of shippingcomputer 106 may convert the token into shipping label information(stage 620) and send a response to payment computer 108 (stage 622). Theresponse may include a verification indicating that the token is a validtoken and shipping label information (stage 622).

Upon receiving a verification from shipping computer 106, paymentcomputer 108 may charge the purchase amount to the customer's account(stage 624) and may send the shipping label information along withpayment confirmation information to merchant computer 110 (stage 626).

Next, merchant computer 110 may provide confirmation of the transactionto the customer (stage 628). Then, merchant computer 110 may print theshipping label information on a label (stage 630) and the merchant mayaffix the label on the package containing the customer's products.Finally, the merchant may send the package to the shipper (stage notshown in figure). After the package has been sent to the shipper, thepurchase process is complete.

If, on the other hand, shipping computer 106 determines that the tokenis not valid, the token conversion software 408 of shipping computer 106may send an error message to payment computer 108 indicating that thethere was a verification error (stage 634). Payment computer 108 may inturn send the error message to merchant computer 110, which may displaythe message to the customer (stages 636 and 638). The customer may theneither start the purchase process over again or retry depending on thepreference of the merchant and/or the customer.

In the foregoing description, it was assumed that the customer conductedthe purchase without closing his or her browser and thus, did not needto logon to the shipping computer 106 in stage 620. If the customer hadclosed the browser on client computer 102, then the customer would berequested to logon in stage 620. In another embodiment, shippingcomputer 106 may require the customer to provide the logon informationagain to provide more security. In still another embodiment, the tokenmay be a unique token and thus the customer may not need to logon toshipping computer 106 in stage 620.

Moreover, although not shown in FIG. 6, one skilled in the art wouldreadily understand that the customer would need to provide someidentifying information to payment computer 108 so that the paymentcomputer can charge the customer's account. In another embodiment,however, shipping computer 106 may provide the required identifyinginformation to payment computer 108 along with the verification in stage622.

Furthermore, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made to the process shown in FIG. 6 withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. For example, in oneembodiment, if the customer's account with the payment company is linkedto a credit card, payment company 108 may send a request to the creditcard company requesting that the purchase amount be charged to thecustomer's account in stage 624. In another embodiment, the amount thatis charged to the customer's account may include the postage amount. Thepostage amount may be calculated by shipping computer 106 and may besent to payment company 108 along with the verification in stage 622. Inanother embodiment, payment computer 108 may convert the token toshipping label information instead of receiving such information fromshipping computer 106.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a shipping label used by a merchant,in accordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. The shipping label may include a return address 702, evidenceof postage and class of service 704, shipping label information that mayinclude a barcode 706 to identify the customer and a barcode 708 toidentify the re-labeling location, both of which may be received fromshipping computer 106, and an indication that the package has beenauthorized for anonymous shipping and requires special handling (stage710). As shown in FIG. 7, human readable digits may be included underboth the barcodes 706 and 708.

Although the label shown in FIG. 7 includes barcodes to identify thecustomer and re-labeling information, in another embodiment, only thecustomer information may be included on a shipping label.

If the shipping label has re-labeling location information on it, theshipper may send the package to the location corresponding to there-labeling location information. For example, if the re-labelinglocation corresponds to the customer's local post office, the shippermay send the package to the customer's local post office forre-labeling. A on the other hand, the package does not containre-labeling location information on it, the package may be sent to abranch specified by the shipper for receiving such packages and bere-labeled by the shipper at that location.

To re-label the package, the shipper may use delivery computer 112 toread information corresponding to the customer (e.g., bar code 706),which is part of the shipping label information on the package, and sendthis information to shipping computer 106 along with a request toconvert the information to the delivery label information. Shippingcomputer 106 may convert the shipping information to the delivery labelinformation and provide the delivery computer 112 with that information.In another embodiment, shipping computer 106 may send a request toregistration system 104 requesting that the shipping information beconverted the delivery label information. The shipper then affixes alabel with the delivery information on the package and ships the packageto the customer.

Depending on the customer and/or shipper, the customer may be given theoption of selecting one of many methods of delivering a package. FIG. 8is an exemplary block diagram of the various shipping methods availablethrough USPS, in accordance with systems and methods consistent with thepresent invention. As shown, a customer may select between threeshipping methods: conventional delivery method 802, call depot method804, or Mail Item Retrieval System (MIRS) 806. The customer may makesuch a selection, for example, in stage 612, in response to a merchant'sprompt for a delivery method in stage 610.

The conventional delivery 802 method includes delivering the package theconventional way (e.g., street delivery or P.O. Box delivery). If thecustomer chooses the conventional delivery method, USPS may re-label thepackage at one of five different locations: delivery units 808, businessmail entry units (BMEUs) 810, plants 812, computer forwarding service(CFS) forwarding emits 814, or a third party relabeler 816. There-labeling of the these packages at any of these five differentlocations may be performed, as described above.

If the customer chooses the call depot 804 method, the package would besent to the customer's local post office or a designated post officenear the delivery address. Instead of re-labeling the package in thismethod, the shipper would read or scan the shipping label informationand mail the customer a notification indicating that USPS has received apackage for the customer and that the customer may pick up the packageat a designated location. The customer may then go to the designatedlocation, present identification along with the notification to theshipper's representative, and receive the package.

Similarly, if the customer chooses the MIRS 806 method, the packagewould not be re-labeled, but instead the package would be sent to a MIRSlocation near the delivery address. Instead of re-labeling the packagein this method, the shipper would read or scan the shipping labelinformation and mail the customer a notification indicating that USPShas received a package for the customer and that the customer may pickup the package at a designated location. Since MIRS allows a customer toretrieve mail items at a self-service machine, the customer may go tothe self-service machine at the designated location and retrieve thepackage. Before retrieving the package, however, the customer may needto provide authentication information that would have been previouslyprovided to the customer by USPS. In one embodiment, MIRS 806 method maybe based on the systems and methods disclosed in related U.S. Pat. No.6,978,929, entitled “Systems and Methods for Providing Mail ItemRetrieval,” filed on Jun. 19, 2001, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

The above-noted features, other aspects, and principles of the presentinvention may be implemented in various system or network configurationsto provide automated and computational tools for shipping a packageprivately to a customer. Such configurations and applications may bespecially constructed for performing the various processes andoperations of the invention or they may include a general purposecomputer or computing platform selectively activated or reconfigured byprogram code to provide the necessary functionality. The processesdisclosed herein are not inherently related to any particular computeror other apparatus, and may be implemented by a suitable combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, various generalpurpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance withteachings of the invention, or it may be more convenient to construct aspecialized apparatus or system to perform the required methods andtechniques.

The present invention also relates to computer readable media thatinclude program instruction or program code for performing variouscomputer-implemented operations based on the methods and processes ofthe invention. The media and program instructions may be those speciallydesigned and constructed for the purposes of the invention, or they maybe of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in thecomputer software arts. The media may take many forms including, but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks.Volatile media includes, for example, dynamic memory. Transmission mediaincludes, for example, coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves,such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red datacommunications. Examples of program instructions include both machinecode, such as produced by compiler, and files containing a high levelcode that can be executed by the computer using an interpreter.

Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and variations can be made in the system andmethod of the present invention and in construction of this inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Forexample, in one embodiment, the customer may establish an account withregistration system 104 and obtain an account number from theregistration system 104. Upon receiving the account number, the customermay visit a merchant's web site and select the products that thecustomer wants to purchase. After selecting the products, the customermay provide to the merchant the account number and financial information(e.g., credit card number and expiration date). The merchant may chargethe customer's credit card for the amount of the purchase and send thepackage to a shipper with a label that contains the customer's accountnumber on it. Upon receiving the package, the shipper may retrieve thecustomer's name and address from registration system 104 by using theaccount number on the label, apply a new label that contains thecustomer's name and address to the package, and ship the package to thecustomer.

In another embodiment, the shipper may perform the functions of apayment company. In still another embodiment, a customer may use systemsand methods consistent with the present invention to purchase a servicealso.

Moreover, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specificationand examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1. A method for anonymously sending a package to a customer at aphysical address, comprising: generating a code for the customer by ashipping computer, the code being associated with the physical addressof the customer; receiving an order from the customer, the orderincluding the code; determining, by the shipping computer, whether thecode is valid; converting the code into an identifier in response to adetermination that the code is valid; and sending the package to ashipper in fulfillment of the order, the package including theidentifier, wherein determining whether the code is valid comprises atleast determining whether the code has expired due to being used apredetermined number of times.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: deriving the physical address from the identifier; anddispatching the package from the shipper to the customer for delivery atthe physical address.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:assigning an electronic account number to the customer using aregistration system.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronicaccount number is the identifier.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theidentifier comprises a random number.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe identifier comprises a bar code.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: sending a request to a payment company to charge thecustomer for the order; and charging a financial account of the customerfor the order.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising labeling thepackage with a label that contains the physical address of the customer.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the labeling stage occurs at one of adelivery unit, a business mail entry unit, a plant, a computerforwarding service unit, or a third party relabeler.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the code is at least one of an encrypted datastructure, the customer's account number, or a random number.
 11. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructionsfor causing a computer to perform a method for anonymously sending apackage to a customer at a physical address, the method comprising:generating a code for the customer by a shipping computer, the codebeing associated with the physical address of the customer; receiving anorder from the customer, the order including the code; determining, bythe shipping computer, whether the code is valid; converting the codeinto an identifier in response to a determination that the code isvalid; and sending the package to a shipper in fulfillment of the order,the package including the identifier, wherein determining whether thecode is valid comprises at least determining whether the code hasexpired due to being used a predetermined number of times.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the methodfurther comprising: deriving the physical address from the identifier;and dispatching the package from the shipper to the customer fordelivery at the physical address.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method furthercomprising: assigning an electronic account number to the customer usinga registration system.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 13, wherein the electronic account number is theidentifier.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein the identifier comprises a random number.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein theidentifier comprises a bar code.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method furthercomprising: sending a request to a payment company to charge thecustomer for the order; and charging a financial account of the customerfor the order.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 11, the method further comprising labeling the package with alabel that contains the physical address of the customer.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein thelabeling stage occurs at one of a delivery unit, a business mail entryunit, a plant, a computer forwarding service unit, or a third partyrelabeler.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein the code is at least one of an encrypted datastructure, the customer's account number, or a random number.
 21. Asystem for anonymously sending a package to a customer, comprising: aprocessor; and a memory storing instructions executed by the processorto peform a method comprising: generating a code for the customer, thecode being associated with the physical address of the customer;receiving an order from the customer, the order including the code;determining whether the code is valid; converting the code into anidentifier in response to a determination that the code is valid; andsending the package to a shipper in fulfillment of the order, thepackage including the identifier, wherein determining whether the codeis valid comprises at least determining whether the code has expired dueto being used a predetermined number of times.
 22. The system of claim21, the method further comprising: deriving the physical address fromthe identifier; and dispatching the package from the shipper to thecustomer for delivery at the physical address.
 23. The system of claim21, the method further comprising: assigning an electronic accountnumber to the customer using a registration system.
 24. The system ofclaim 23, wherein the electronic account number is the identifier. 25.The system of claim 21, wherein the identifier comprises a randomnumber.
 26. The system of claim 21, wherein the identifier comprises abar code.
 27. The system of claim 21, the method further comprising:sending a request to a payment company to charge the customer for theorder; and charging a financial account of the customer for the order.28. The system of claim 21, the method further comprising labeling thepackage with a label that contains the physical address of the customer.29. The system of claim 28, wherein the labeling stage occurs at one ofa delivery unit, a business mail entry unit, a plant, a computerforwarding service unit, or a third party relabeler.
 30. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the code is at least one of an encrypted datastructure, the customer's account number, or a random number.